I love Michael Morpurgo. And The Butterfly Lion? I've had it on my shelf for ever so long, hoping to share it with more readers someday. That day is nearly here!The Butterfly Lion is a classic. In Michael Morpurgo's signature style, he tells a heartfelt, almost mystical story in the simplest and most magical of ways. It's the story of love and kindness, friendship and loyalty.Bertie is heartbroken when his beloved white lion is sent away to the circus. He knows there is no choice, but that does not make it better. He promises the lion that he will find him, somehow, someday. But Bertie's story is a story within a story, told to a runaway boy Michael by an old lady who isn't everything she seems to be. As we learn about the butterfly lion, we explore the joy of memory and the ways in which we remember the ones we love.Like so many other older books, there are so many resources available … [Read more...]
Mira the Detective
Another reading programme, another hOle book! Mira the Detective by Pavithra Sankaran is perfect for my book club in so many ways. We love detective stories, and what better than a book featuring a child detective?When an antique watch is stolen, Mira has very few clues, but they have got to be enough! She must get to the bottom of the mystery.The theft of the antique watch is just the first of three mysteries that Mira the detective solves. What makes the stories even more fun is that we, as readers, are equipped with the same clues as Mira and we can solve the mysteries with her! Sounds and smells Working with our senses is something that never gets stale. In the first story, Mira hears a tic-tic-tic sound. What could it be? In the last story, an aroma is the biggest clue. I've worked with several activities to do with the senses before, and … [Read more...]
Manolita
In many ways, Manolita is a simple, old-fashioned tale. For a generation that's immersed in mythology - from the retelling of Indian myths to all the popular books that have their foundation in Greek mythology - I think a story about a selkie set in the modern world is perfect!Jaya makes friends easily, so it comes as no surprise that she befriends a stranger in Oregon. Of course, her new friend Manolita has to be perfectly human ... right? Even if she doesn't quite understand the phrase 'exchanging numbers', and she likes to eat her fish raw ...?The entire series of books that Karadi Tales has released under the Minmini Reads imprint is remarkable in many ways. Often, books of this length are for younger children, but a chapter book like this for slightly older readers works so well! It's a quick read, wholly satisfying and perfect as a conversation starter. Here's what we'll do … [Read more...]
Four Workshop Anecdotes
So many tiny things happen during workshops! Here's a quick roundup of things that make me smile. Whispering During one of my sessions, a child raised his hand. I quickly summed up what I wanted to say so that I would not lose my chain of thought, and then asked him to speak.'Actually, I want to talk to A,' he said.Amused, I nodded to him to go ahead.What he wanted to say to A was utterly and completely unrelated to what we were doing. And that's what made me realise - at online classes, whispering has to happen with the teacher's permission! I like The protagonist of The Vampire Boy is Kris, a vampire who hates blood. With that in mind, I asked the children to come up with sentences about themselves, telling us two things: one, something they like that their friends also like, and two, something they like but their friends don't. My favourites? My friends like … [Read more...]
Rattu & Poorie’s Adventures in History: 1857
A book about a pair of sisters, where the protagonist is the younger sister ... of course I was intrigued! Additionally, historical fiction has attracted me for a while, and I have come across very little in the genre for seven and eight-year-olds. Rattu & Poorie's Adventures in History: 1857, shortlisted for the Neev Book Award for Emerging Readers 2020, is quite engaging, providing glimpses of three major events that comprised an uprising that all of us study in school - the revolt of 1857.The links between Rattu's life in modern India and historical events are interestingly created. Rattu wishes for a soldier with a sword and encounters Rani Lakshmibai and Jhalkari Bai, who encourage her to play a game of make-believe based on the siege of Jhansi. When bullies steal the sisters' ice-creams, whom should they encounter but Azimullah Khan and Nana Sahib, who teach them how to deal … [Read more...]
Reading, Reading, and Reading Some More
Yesterday, we came to the end of yet another batch of my reading programme for ages nine and ten. I wrote about our 'raise hand' anecdote, and thinking about that made me realise - again - that the main reason I conduct reading programmes is that I enjoy them so much! Yes, I spread the love of reading and all that, but more, I love what goes into each programme. I love choosing my books, planning my activities, and then, seeing how, despite all the planning, children take the workshop in whatever direction they like!This time, we read Karma Meets a Zombie, The Hodgeheg and When the World Went Dark. Each one was delightful in its own way. Karma Meets a Zombie I wrote about being a little nervous reading this one with my book club. Would it be too scary? Detachable hands, the undead - how much is too much?Ultimately, though, it … [Read more...]
Rise of the Earth Dragon (Dragon Masters #1)
I love introducing children to book series. It's heartwarming to see children come back to a subsequent edition of my reading programme bursting with excitement because they're reading the next book of a series to which I introduced them! It's happened with the hOle books, Amelia Bedelia, the A to Z Mysteries, Moin and the Monster ... More often than I can count! And the Dragon Masters is a fun, exciting series too! Rise of the Earth Dragon is the first of the series, the book where Drake discovers that he is a Dragon Master. But-but-but dragons don't exist! They do? But what if he can't connect with his dragon at all? Rise of the Earth Dragon is a lovely story about new experiences, making friends, adventure and magic! Here's what we will do with it at my book club. Diary of a Dragon Master What if you were a Dragon Master? Write about your dragon! What is its name? What … [Read more...]
Cricket for the Crocodile
I launched my online reading programme for ages seven and eight in December last year, which means that this is the sixth edition of the programme. Each time, I've focused on Indian books - books written by Indians, published in India or set in India - usually all three. On the whole, I've tried to avoid the big names in children's literature, mainly because one of the goals of the book club is to introduce children to books they might not otherwise read. Yet I have included well-known names - Roald Dahl and Dick King-Smith twice each, for instance! And so, this time, I'm introducing a book by Ruskin Bond, Cricket for the Crocodile. It's shorter than the books we usually read, but that should give us more time for bookish activities! Ranji is determined to be a Test cricketer, and his team comes from different parts of town. Sometimes, they even need to let the adults take … [Read more...]
Raise Hand
Children will be mischievous. They will always, always try to find ways to fool their teachers. The most common excuse during virtual sessions? "I lost connection." Much as children like to believe otherwise, teachers can tell when children aren't attentive. They stare at the screen and their eyes glaze over. At my book club, I know they aren't reading along. For one, they shouldn't be looking at the screen at all. If they're gazing at the screen, they're doing something else. Of course. But when I ask them a question linked to what we're reading, pat comes the response, "Sorry, I lost my connection. I don't know where we are." So, yesterday, I told the children, very casually, to raise their hands immediately if they lose track. "Don't wait until I ask you to read. If you lose your connection and can't find where we are, raise your hand!" I could see the bewilderment. A … [Read more...]
Book Club Discussions
We just finished reading Sandy to the Rescue, the first of five books we'll be reading at this edition of my book club. One of the joys of reading the hOle books at the reading programme is that the length is perfect. We have enough time to read and do activities during each session, which, for me, is what a book club is about. In Sandy to the Rescue, six-year-old Aftab hides first under the dining table and then in the bath tub. This made me ask the children, "Where would you hide? If you had to smuggle a friend into your house, what would be a hiding place?" We discussed the storage cupboard, a balcony with newspapers (ideal for a little cushioning) and under the bed. I then led them to another activity - finding a hiding place for something a little smaller, like a secret note, perhaps. What could they write in the note? That led me to an unexpected discussion because one of the … [Read more...]
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